SYSTEM FOR GENERATING ALARMS BASED ON ALARM PATTERNS

• US 20120286955A1
• Filed: 04/19/2012
• Published: 11/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Masimo Corporation
• Original Assignee: Masimo Corporation
• Inventors: Welch, James P., Long, Brian Spencer
• Granted Patent: US 9,095,316 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02455 provided with high/low alarm devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0453 worn on the body to detect health condition by physiological monitoring, e.g. electrocardiogram, temperature, breathing detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

An alarm system can include one or more processors. Such processors can receive physiological parameter data associated with a patient. The one or more processors can also select an alarm pattern based at least in part on an indicator of an attribute of the patient. The alarm pattern can include a plurality of different thresholds and corresponding periods of time. Further, the one or more processors can generate an alarm when a value associated with the physiological parameter data satisfies at least one threshold of the plurality of thresholds for the period of time corresponding to the at least one threshold.

Claims

1. A method for reducing nuisance alarms, the method comprising:

receiving physiological information associated with a patient;

calculating a physiological parameter associated with the patient based at least in part on the received physiological information;

selecting, under control of one or more processors, an alarm pattern based at least in part on a characteristic of the patient, the alarm pattern including a plurality of thresholds each having corresponding periods of time; and

determining whether to generate an alarm based at least in part on a comparison over time of the physiological parameter to a value computed using the alarm pattern.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said selecting is further based on the received physiological information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the physiological parameter includes one of the following:

oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, and heart rate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the alarm pattern further includes a baseline.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the physiological information is received from one or more sensors.

6. A method for reducing nuisance alarms, the method comprising:

receiving a physiological parameter associated with a patient;

selecting, under control of one or more processors, an alarm pattern, the alarm pattern including a plurality of thresholds each having corresponding periods of time; and

determining whether to generate an alarm based at least in part on a comparison over time of the physiological parameter to a value computed using the alarm pattern.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising selecting a new alarm pattern based at least in part on a change in status of the patient.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising setting at least one threshold of the plurality of thresholds based at least in part on a characteristic of the patient.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising setting at least one period of time corresponding to at least one of the plurality of thresholds based at least in part on a characteristic of the patient.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein said selecting is performed in response to a user selecting the alarm pattern.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising generating the alarm.

12. An system for reducing nuisance alarms, the system comprising:

one or more processors configured to;

receive physiological parameter data associated with a patient;

select an alarm pattern based at least in part on an indicator of an attribute of the patient, the alarm pattern including a plurality of different thresholds and corresponding periods of time; and

generate an alarm when a value associated with the physiological parameter data satisfies at least one threshold of the plurality of thresholds for the period of time corresponding to the at least one threshold.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to generate an alarm when the value associated with the physiological parameter is within a range for a predetermined period of time associated with the range.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the value associated with the physiological parameter is a multi-parameter index.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to compute the multi-parameter index based on the physiological parameter data.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the indicator of the attribute of the patient is based on one or more of the following:

age, gender, height, and weight.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to enable a user to select the alarm pattern.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to enable a user to adjust the alarm pattern.